Control device for internal combustion engines



Nov. 15, 1938. E. E. GRIESE ET AL 2,135,500

CONTROL DEVICE FDR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 12, 19:57

5 55 H msv N NmA m wa n wf A K Mm 5% GF/W/ w 7 W E H 4 w i I 5 4 \v. NW w 4 1 w J i. A w "M W a X fix 4 749/ 1 5 1 5 1 4 0 J w \mflzuk Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Eugene E. Griese, Shaker Heights, and Frank B. Davis, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application March 12, 1937, Serial N0. 130,548

4 Claims.

This invention relates to control devices such as are used upon motor vehicles for manual control of internal combustion engines. Automobile engines, while ordinarily controlled by a foot accelerator, usually are provided with manual control in the form. of a pull rod or wire connected to the throttle and provided with a button or knob conveniently located on the dash or elsewhere, by means of which the driver can control the engine with his hand, either to. rest his foot or for any other reason. The rod is pulled out to open the throttle and speed up the engine, the speed increasing as the rod is pulled out more and more, and the rod will stay put in any position to which it is adjusted, either because of the inherent friction of the parts or because of friction orta latching eiTect specially imposed upon or introduced into the mechanism.

One object of the present invention is to provide improved manually operated mechanism of this kind embodying adjustable means for variably limiting the throttle opening movement, so that when the knob or other control device is pulled out to its limit a definite and desirable engine speed will be secured, such means enabling the engine speed to be readily varied by small increments to secure any desirable speed.

Another object of the invention is to provide adjusting and stop means of the character described, which readily may be applied tocars already in use or which may be embodied in new cars, at low cost and by convenient operations, and which is positive in operation, is durable and serviceable, and which is not likely to get out of order in service.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 represents an elevation of one form of the invention, the carburetor and throttle parts being shown conventionally; Fig. 2' is a perspective View of the dash attached parts, on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail cross section on the line 4--4, Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 and showing a modification.

While the invention may be used for the control of any device capable of operation by a pull rod and hand button, and particularly where a variable setting or adjusting is desirable, for convenience and in. no sense of limitation, the invention has been shown applied for use in operating the throttle of an internal combustion engine. A part of the engine carburetor or fuel supply system is conventionally shown at I. Within it is the usual throttle valve including a shaft 2 extending to the outside and having an arm 3 connected by a wire 4 to a rod 5 slidably mounted in a suitable guide and provided on 5 its outer end with suitable operating means, such as a knob or button 6 which may be grasped by the operator for the purpose of pulling out or pushing in the rod, in the usual manner. The guide shown is a stationary tubular member 'I 10 fastened to the head portion 8 of a bent strap or yoke 9 attached at In to the dash II.

According to the present invention, suitable means is provided for adjustably limiting the pull-ou movement of the rod 5, to thereby 15 limit or control the setting of the carburetor by the pulling movement of the wire 4 which, of

course, moves inside of the usual flexible casing or tube I2. The stop means includes a part carried by and movable with the rod 5 and a sta- 20 tionary abutment with which said part cooperates, either the moving part or the stationary abutment being adjustable for varying the setting of the carburetor in the manner described. While the stationary abutment may be adjust- 25 able, the drawing illustrates adjustment of the part carried by the rod 5. As illustrated, said rod has sleeved upon it a rotatable adjusting member in the form of an externally threaded tube I3, which extends through abushing I4 0 fastened to the dash and is provided on the drivers side of the dash with an operating part, such as the knurled head I5. The threads of the tube It engage with the threads of a nut I6, which is shown as a square nut, two of its op- 5 posed faces travelling along the fiat faces of the arms of the yoke 9. While the screw I3 is rotatable on rod 5 it is immovable longitudinally thereof, being confined between a collar I1 pinned to the rod and a suitable shoulder I8 40 engaged by the head I5. As will appear, either the dash, or a part attached thereto, such as the end of the bushing I4, serves as the stationary abutment for cooperation with the nut I6.

In operation, assuming that the throttle is closed, 45

or in its most nearly closed or idling position, to increase the speed of the engine by manual operation, the knob 6 is grasped and pulled out, carrying with it the rod 5 and wire 4 and opening the throttle. Screw I3 travels longitudinally 50 with the rod 5, its threaded portion sliding through the opening in the bushing I4 until the nut I6 engages the bushing I 4. Obviously the amount of sliding movement of the rod 5 until the nut engages the bushing, determines the ex- 55 tent of opening movement of the throttle and consequently the speed of the engine when the knob is pulled all the way out. By rotating the screw 13 by means of its head I5, the nut l6 may be adjusted along the rod 5 so as to variably limit the amount of the throttle opening movement and consequently determine the engine speed when the rod is pulled all the way out.

Fig. 5 shows a modified form of the arrangement in which one of the two knobs 6, l5, of Fig. 2 is dispensed with as a direct operating means. In this arrangement the rod 5 has a small head 6a which is seated and fully enclosed within a recess 20 in the head l5a forming part of or attached to the screw l3, the head 15a being enlarged for convenient manipulation with the fingers. In this arrangement, to open the throttle the head l5a is grasped and pulled out, as before, and variable setting of the throttle is accomplished by rotation of the head I5a which turns the screw and. adjusts the nut as before. Otherwise the two devices are the same.

While it is not essential, we prefer to use and have illustrated in the drawing arrangements in which the adjustable nut and its screw are provided with left-hand threads, so that the normal or right-hand rotational movement of the screw will increase the speed of the engine when the pull rod is pulled all the way out.

The apparatus described is capable of use in various ways according to the desires or requirements of the operator. In the first place, if the operator does not desire to use or take advantage of the benefits of the invention, he can adjust the nut Hi to its extreme right-hand position in Fig. 3, where it contacts with the collar I1. In this position of the nut the pull rod can be pulled out to its full extent by pulling on the knob 6, with the ability to open the throttle to the widest possible extent, the operator depending upon his judgment as to where to leave the parts for the desired operating conditions.

If the operator desires to use the invention and to limit throttle opening movement to a position in which the car speed will not exceed a given maximum, say twenty-five miles per hour, he can make any proper adjustment of the parts to prevent exceeding that speed. This may be accomplished in any suitable way. For example, the operator can rotate the knob I5 or |5a to move the nut [6 to its extreme left-hand position engaging the stop abutment l4, in which position the pull rod is confined against any longitudinal motion in either direction. Then, with his foot ofi from the foot throttle and grasping the kob l5 with his fingers and pulling out upon the same, the operator can rotate the knob l5 and gradually adjust the pull rod longitudinally with reference to the nut IE to open the throttle until the desired maximum car speed is reached, With the parts in this position the operator knows that he can push the rod in to idling position of the engine throttle with the assurance that if at any time he Wants to rest his foot by taking it 01? from the foot throttle he can pull out the pull rod with his hand as far as it will go, knowing that the engine speed in the final position of the parts will not exceed the desired maximum, say twenty-flve miles per hour.

The construction described is quite simple, is capable of adjustment to any desired maximum engine speed, and prevents accidents which might otherwise be caused by unintentionally exceeding that speed.

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a pull rod extending through the dash of a motor vehicle and adapted for connection to a part to be operated, an abutment on the dash, a stop device adjustable along said rod and adapted to .cooperate with said abutment, an operator for said stop device also extending through the dash, said stop device and operator having a threaded connection with each other, and means for preventing rotation of the stop device.

2. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a pull rod adapted for connection to a part to be operated by pull on said rod, said rod extending through the dash of a motor vehicle and being provided on the drivers side of said 3. Apparatus of the character described in 4 claim 2, including a threaded member rotatable on said rod, said stop device having threaded engagement with said threaded member for adjustment of the stop device.

4. Apparatus of the character described in claim 2, including a threaded member rotatable on said rod, said stop device having threaded engagement with said threaded member for adjustment of the stop device, and means for preventing rotation of the stop device.

EUGENE E. GRIESE. FRANK B. DAVIS. 

